Charcot–Leyden crystals are

microscopic The microscopic scale () is the scale of objects and events smaller than those that can easily be seen by the naked eye, requiring a lens or microscope to see them clearly. In physics, the microscopic scale is sometimes regarded as the scale be ...

crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macr ...

s composed of eosinophil protein

galectin-10 Galectin-10 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''CLC'' gene. Lysophospholipases are enzymes that act on biological membranes to regulate the multifunctional lysophospholipids. The protein encoded by this gene is a lysophospholipase e ...

found in people who have allergic diseases such as

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, c ...

or parasitic infections such as

parasitic pneumonia Parasitic pneumonia is an infection of the lungs by parasites. It is a rare cause of pneumonia, occurring almost exclusively in immunocompromised persons (persons with a weakened or absent immune system). This is a respiratory infection that may o ...

ascariasis Ascariasis is a disease caused by the parasitic roundworm '' Ascaris lumbricoides''. Infections have no symptoms in more than 85% of cases, especially if the number of worms is small. Symptoms increase with the number of worms present and may ...

Appearance

Charcot–Leyden crystals are composed of an eosinophilic lysophospholipase binding protein called Galectin -10. They vary in size and may be as large as 50 µm in length. Charcot–Leyden crystals are slender and pointed at both ends, consisting of a pair of hexagonal pyramids joined at their bases. Normally colorless, they are

stained A stain is a discoloration that can be clearly distinguished from the surface, material, or medium it is found upon. They are caused by the chemical or physical interaction of two dissimilar materials. Accidental staining may make materials app ...

purplish-red by

trichrome Trichrome staining is a histological staining method that uses two or more acid dyes in conjunction with a polyacid. Staining differentiates tissues by tinting them in contrasting colours. It increases the contrast of microscopic features in ...

Clinical significance

They are indicative of a disease involving eosinophilic inflammation or proliferation, such as is found in allergic reactions (asthma, bronchitis, allergic rhinitis and rhinosinusitis) and parasitic infections such as ''

Entamoeba histolytica ''Entamoeba histolytica'' is an anaerobic parasitic amoebozoan, part of the genus '' Entamoeba''. Predominantly infecting humans and other primates causing amoebiasis, ''E. histolytica'' is estimated to infect about 35-50 million people worldw ...

'', ''

Necator americanus ''Necator americanus'' is a species of hookworm (a type of helminth) commonly known as the New World hookworm. Like other hookworms, it is a member of the phylum Nematoda. It is an obligatory parasitic nematode that lives in the small intestin ...

'', and ''

Ancylostoma duodenale ''Ancylostoma'' is a genus of nematodes that includes some species of hookworms. Species include: : '' Ancylostoma braziliense'', commonly infects cats, popularly known in Brazil as ''bicho-geográfico'' : '' Ancylostoma caninum'', commonly infe ...

''. Charcot–Leyden crystals are often seen pathologically in patients with bronchial asthma.

History

Friedrich Albert von Zenker Friedrich Albert von Zenker (13 March 1825 – 13 June 1898) was a German pathologist and physician, celebrated for his discovery of trichinosis. He was born in Dresden, and was educated in Leipzig and Heidelberg. While in Leipzig, he worked for ...

was the first to notice these crystals, doing so in 1851, after which they were described jointly by

Jean-Martin Charcot Jean-Martin Charcot (; 29 November 1825 – 16 August 1893) was a French neurologist and professor of anatomical pathology. He worked on hypnosis and hysteria, in particular with his hysteria patient Louise Augustine Gleizes. Charcot is known a ...

and

Charles-Philippe Robin Charles-Philippe Robin (4 June 1821 – 6 October 1885) was a French anatomist, biologist, and histologist born in Jasseron, département Ain. He studied medicine in Paris, and while still a student took a scientific journey with Hermann Lebert ...

in 1853, then in 1872 by

Ernst Viktor von Leyden Ernst Viktor von Leyden (20 April 1832 – 5 October 1910) was a German internist from Danzig. Biography He studied medicine at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Institut in Berlin, and was a pupil of Johann Lukas Schönlein (1793–1864) and Lu ...

.J. Y. Su: ''A Brief History of Charcot-Leyden Crystal Protein/Galectin-10 Research.'' Molecules, 2018, 23(11), 2931.

References

External links

Tulane Lung pathology

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charcot-Leyden crystals Pathology

Appearance

Clinical significance

History

See also

References

External links